Arsenal round-up: Wenger rejects China move; team-mate praises German midfielder; Academy manager leaves

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The rumours surrounding Arsene Wenger’s future refuse to go away, but he has turned down a move to China. According to the Mirror, he was offered a huge £30 million-a-year to move to the Chinese Super League, which would be double what Pep Guardiola is earning at Manchester City. However, the Frenchman is determined to stay in Europe and manage at the highest level. It remains to be seen whether that will be with Arsenal or elsewhere. There is a new contract on the table at the Emirates Stadium, but there is a growing fear that the 67-year-old will be leaving the club at the end of the season.

Despite the strong views of some Arsenal fans, the board want Wenger to stay at the club past this summer and a lot of the players remain behind their manager. If he guides the Gunners to a top-four finish and an FA Cup triumph, then there could be a future for the Frenchman at the Emirates Stadium. The main problem for the board is that there isn’t a clear candidate to take over as manager if Wenger does leave in the summer. One thing is clear, the uncertainty surrounding the club at the moment isn’t helping and it needs to be resolved quickly.

Mesut Ozil is seen as one of the best midfielders in the world outside of England, but he has never been fully taken to by the media in this country. He is often one of the first players to be criticised whenever Arsenal lose and there is a worry that this treatment could force the German to look for a move in the summer. International team-mate Jerome Boateng has been discussing the midfielder and stated that he is one of the best players in the world:

“He is world class. Every player has a period where it’s not everything goes well. He knows this by himself and he will make everything to play good for his team. He’s one of the best players in the world.

“When he was at Real Madrid he made the most assists – even at Arsenal. So I think they are very lucky to have him.”

These comments underline how highly Ozil is thought of across Europe. They may come from one of his German team-mates, but there are several others who share these views. There will be several big European clubs monitoring the midfielder’s situation as he would improve almost every team across the big five leagues. Arsenal need to do their best to keep hold of him this summer as they would struggle to find a better player to replace him.

Andries Jonker has left his position as the academy manager at Arsenal, as he has taken the manager’s position at Wolfsburg. He becomes the third manager that the German club have had this season. The Dutchman has previous with the club as he was the assistant manager before he left to head up the academy in North London. Freddie Ljungberg will be his number two in Germany.

Although this won’t have a significant impact on the first team, it will be a disappointment to the club as the 54-year-old had been doing some good work with the youth players. He was well thought of and they will now have to bring a replacement into the club. Mark Warburton is one of the names that has been linked to the post, and that would be a great appointment. He may have been fired by Rangers, but he is respected in the game and would be a good coach for the young players at Arsenal.

Featured image: All rights reserved by Emrah Partal